Books in the Time of Corona

I think we’ve all had that moment at some point over the past few weeks where the reality of staying in all the time sinks in, forcing us to try and look for positives. For me, one of the first of those was the possibility of more reading time. So, do we go for something uplifting and escapist with this opportunity – or is it actually something else we need in times like this?

If you are to search ‘why is reading good for you?’ pretty much all searches will include stress reduction as one. This is based on its ability to distract you and transport you temporarily away from reality. I’ve noticed something recently though, that’s that people seem to be keen on reading or re-visiting apocalyptic novels. (This includes films too, come on, who hasn’t re-watched Outbreak?).

Initially that feels counter-intuitive. Why would you scare yourself with this stuff when real life is scary enough? Maybe there’s something soothing about letting yourself see how much worse things could be.

For me personally, that was the therapy that came from the book I’ve just read: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

This is a WWII story set in Nazi occupied France. It follows the fate of two sisters, one who risks her life daily with the resistance, accompanying downed British airman across mountains and dangerous checkpoints, to safety. The other stays home but has a German soldier billeted in her home. I have seen many memes in the past few weeks saying things along the lines of “Our grandparents fought in the war, all we have to do is stay home and watch Netflix,” and I think that is the very crux of why this book felt beneficial; perspective and maybe a bit of gratitude.

What if staying at home meant a stranger would move in, instantly choose the room they wanted (which was almost certainly your best one), then whip around the house claiming all your best things.  After that they’d expect you to wait on them, obey them; they’d threaten you constantly with the strong possibility of death and expect you to be grateful for all of this. What if shopping meant taking a ration book and standing in a line for hours on the off chance of getting something barely edible if you were lucky? What if you might be shot or bombed at any moment?

What if, based on someone else’s random criteria, you could be sent to a concentration camp (or worse) leaving your children abandoned (or worse – yes, there’s worse)?

Those above are just some of the problems of the sister who stayed home. The other sister’s plight comes with even more peril, but at least it began with an element of choice (until it didn’t).

Reading this book was hard going but I confess, did bring with it a sense of comforting perspective. It also comes with a stark reminder of how resilient humans can be and how much strength and courage can be found if we are pushed that hard. Maybe a light-hearted beach romance would’ve been easier going but would it come with the same catharsis?

Here are 10 other good perspective reads:

1. Room by Emma Donoghue – What if you didn’t just have to stay in your own comfortable home, but in a shed with one other person for over six years (six years being the other person’s entire life)?
2. The Diary of Anne Frank – Living in small attic with your family for 2 years.
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – Complete takeover of your reproductive freedom, (and freedom in general), by the patriarchy.
4. 1984 by George Orwell – Attempted takeover of your own thoughts.
5. Station 11 by Emily St John: Having to re-start civilization from scratch with random strangers.
6. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – Your fate directly related to your intelligence, where that is genetically controlled by someone else.
7. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris – Having to choose between death and the worst job you might be able to imagine combined with continual extreme hardship.
8. The Stand by Stephen King – Stuck in an apocalyptic scenario with Satan himself.
9. The Road by Cormac McCarthy – You are literally down to your last can of tinned peaches.
10. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood – Stuck in an apocalyptic scenario with dangerous, mutant, genetically modified animals.

Staying in with Netflix or a good book, maybe it’s not so bad. Are you going to the beach or the end of the world?